Quick Answer: Seoul Nightlife Statistics
The DJ Diaries surveyed 343 people from Seoul’s club going community, in Korean and English, between 1 February and 16 March 2025. The headline results: 79% go out in Itaewon, 52.2% have missed the last train, 44.6% of women have felt unsafe on a night out against 17.1% of men, and daytime parties were the most wanted new format with 180 votes. Every figure here matches the full Seoul Nightlife Report.
This page is the short citation version of the Seoul Nightlife Experience Study 2025. It collects the figures people quote most often, so you can check a number and link to it. The full report has every chart, the written answers and the caveats. The numbers profile an engaged, online, internationally connected club community, not every person in Seoul who goes out.
Ten headline findings
- Itaewon (이태원) is the meeting point. It was named 272 times and draws 79% of both Korean and expat respondents, rising to 91.2% of people 40 and over. Hongdae (홍대) follows with 138 mentions, then Apgujeong and Cheongdam (압구정·청담) with 112.
- The youngest crowd has its own map. Among 20 to 24 year olds, 57.1% name Hongdae and 38.1% name Seongsu (성수), about three times the Seongsu rate of any older group.
- More than half have missed the last train. 52.2% of everyone surveyed has been stranded after the subway stopped, peaking at 65.2% of 25 to 29 year olds.
- Safety is a gendered problem. 30.6% of respondents have felt unsafe on a night out: 44.6% of women against 17.1% of men, a 2.6 times gap.
- Daytime parties are the most wanted new format. 180 votes, ahead of night markets (155) and live music (113). Interest climbs with age, from 23.8% of 20 to 24 year olds to 66.7% of 30 to 34 year olds.
- House and techno lead the dance floor. 62.1% dance to house and techno (215 votes), including 73.5% of Korean respondents and 81.0% of 30 to 34 year olds.
- Sameness is the most repeated complaint. About fifty people used their written answers to ask for more variety in music and genres.
- Half go out every week. 50.1% go out weekly and another 38.2% a few times a month. 56.6% bar hop, and 48.8% stay out four to six hours.
- The door is often free. 36.4% usually pay nothing to get in, and the most common paid answer is 10,000 to 20,000 won (about US$7 to 15), given by 37.0%.
- Most drink budgets are modest. The most common drink spend is 25,000 to 50,000 won a night (about US$18 to 37), chosen by 34.2%. 6.1% do not drink at all.
Who answered
| Group | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Men | 52.8% |
| Women | 45.8% |
| Korean | 58.3% |
| Expat | 41.1% |
| 20 to 24 | 18.4% |
| 25 to 29 | 20.4% |
| 30 to 34 | 18.4% |
| 35 to 39 | 13.1% |
| 40 and over | 29.7% |
Methodology
A bilingual online survey with 40 questions, shared through social media and nightlife community channels from 1 February to 16 March 2025, with almost every answer arriving in February. 343 people responded and left about 600 written answers. The sample is self selecting. The 40 and over group is the largest at 29.7%, partly because the survey travelled through the researcher’s own network, and the Korean or expat choice leaves out gyopo (교포, Korean diaspora), long term immigrants and visitors. Read the figures as direction, not a census. The full method is in the report, and the Research page summarises it.
Licence and how to cite
The survey results are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0). Reuse them freely with credit and a link. Suggested citation: The DJ Diaries (2025). Seoul Nightlife Experience Study 2025, n = 343, fieldwork 1 February to 16 March 2025. https://thedj-diaries.com/seoul-nightlife-report/
Download the headline figures as a CSV file. It holds the question level percentages and vote counts printed in the report, and no respondent level data.
한국어 요약
The DJ Diaries는 2025년 2월 1일부터 3월 16일까지 서울 클럽 커뮤니티 343명을 대상으로 한국어와 영어 설문을 진행했습니다. 응답자의 79%가 이태원에서 놀고, 52.2%가 막차를 놓친 적이 있으며, 여성의 44.6%(남성 17.1%)가 밤에 불안을 느낀 적이 있다고 답했습니다. 가장 원하는 새 형식은 낮 파티(180표)였습니다. 결과는 CC BY 4.0 라이선스로 공개하며, 전체 내용은 나이트라이프 리포트에 있습니다.
Updated 7 November 2026: retitled from “The 2024 Survey Data” to 2025, and every figure rebuilt to match the full report. See the corrections log.
Quick answers
How many people took the Seoul nightlife survey?
343 respondents, surveyed in February and March 2025. The sample is people who go out in Seoul, not the general population, so treat it as a picture of the clubbing audience rather than the city.
Which Seoul neighbourhood is most popular for going out?
Itaewon leads at 44 percent, followed by Haebangchon at 23 percent, Hongdae at 19 percent, Gangnam at 9 percent and Euljiro at 5 percent.
How often do Seoul clubbers go out?
50.1 percent go out every week and 38.2 percent a few times a month. The sample was recruited through nightlife channels, so it describes engaged clubbers, not the whole city.
How much does a night out in Seoul cost?
Most respondents reported spending between 40 and 80 US dollars per night, covering cover charge, drinks and transport.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes, with a citation to this page. The dataset is published as open data with a suggested citation format in the Citing this data section.